The Book of Ceremony: Shamanic Wisdom for Invoking the Sacred in Everyday Life - Sandra Ingerman MA 2018

Acknowledgments

This book would not have been possible without all my peers, friends, students, and readers of my monthly columns and books joining me in performing ceremonies for personal and global healing. I learned so much from performing ceremonies alone and with groups. I also have been inspired by how many of my students have taken up sharing ceremonies with their friends, loved ones, coworkers, and communities.

I have felt honored and inspired by hearing from my students about their improvisations and adaptations of ceremonies I teach. It is quite extraordinary to learn about the innovative and powerful ceremonies they are performing in their circles and communities.

So, I thank my global community for joining me in this transformative and ecstatic work.

I also want to thank my agent, Barbara Moulton, who has been such a support to me personally and professionally.

I give my deepest gratitude to Tami Simon and Jaime Schwalb at Sounds True for inviting me to write The Book of Ceremony. Performing ceremonies is a true passion of mine, and it has been a delight to write this book.

To add to the gift of writing The Book of Ceremony, I had the joy to work with both Grayson Towler and Haven Iverson as my editors. I believe Grayson is a brilliant shamanic practitioner, and I loved the issues he brought up as a shamanic teacher himself. He gave me a lot to think about and reflect on as we explored how to make this book accessible to people traveling diverse spiritual paths. And I give thanks to all the staff at Sounds True who helped with the editing and final phases of the book.

I feel honored to have Mitchell Clute at Sounds True, who is an amazing writer and shamanic teacher, as an ally. His expansive worldview of life and shamanism brings me home when I lose my orientation.

I also give gratitude to Sylvia Edwards for her friendship and immense support in all levels of my life. Her presence in my life is an invaluable gift I cannot put words to.

And to my husband, Woods Shoemaker, thank you for who you are, your brilliant light, and unconditional love. I love the ceremony of life we have created together.

RESOURCES

The following resources for learning the practice of shamanic journeying can be found on sandraingerman.com.

BOOKS

•Shamanic Journeying: A Beginner’s Guide

•Awakening to the Spirit World: The Shamanic Path of Direct Revelation (coauthored with Hank Wesselman)

•Walking in Light: The Everyday Empowerment of a Shamanic Life

AUDIO PROGRAMS

•The Beginner’s Guide to Shamanic Journeying

•Shamanic Meditations: Guided Journeys for Insight, Vision, and Healing

•Shamanic Visioning: Connecting with Spirit to Transform Your Inner and Outer Worlds

MUSIC

•Soul Journeys: Music for Shamanic Practice

•Shamanic Visioning Music: Taiko Drum Journeys

•The Spirit of Healing: Shamanic Journey Music (coauthored with Byron Metcalf)

JOURNAL ARTICLE

•You can order the published pilot research I conducted with the University of Michigan’s Integrative Medicine program to show how my “Medicine for the Earth” practices can be helpful for those who have suffered a heart attack.

•Sara L. Warber et al., “Healing the Heart: A Randomized Pilot Study of a Spiritual Retreat for Depression in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients,” Explore 7, no. 4 (2011): 222—33, doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2011.04.002.

ONLINE CLASSES (UNDER “TRAININGS”)

•Experiencing the Shamanic Journey: A Direct Path of Revelation (produced by Sounds True). A weekend workshop I taught on shamanic journeying in Boulder, Colorado. Also available at soundstrue.com/store/health-healing/experiencing-the-shamanic-journey-2423.html.

•Shamanic Journeying for Guidance and Healing: Opening to Love, Beauty, and Wisdom Through Sacred Ceremony and Community parts 1 and 2 (produced by the Shift Network). A seven- and twelve-week teleconferencing course you can take at any time. Also available at shamanicjourneyingcourse.com.

MORE RESOURCES FOR YOUR CEREMONY WORK

•Shamanic Teachers and Workshops I have been training teachers internationally since 2003. On shamanicteachers.com, I list brilliant teachers and practitioners from around the world. You can also find out more about workshops on shamanic journeying, personal and planetary healing, and guidance for living a shamanic life. You can contact a local shamanic teacher or practitioner on this list to help you design or perform a ceremony in your community, for healing, or to take a workshop.

•The Transmutation App (available for Android and iOS) I created this app to help you to shift negative thoughts to those that lead to your desired outcome. You can set an alert that asks you to reflect on what you are thinking about throughout the day and that inspires you to shift your thoughts by viewing words, phrases, blessings, and photos provided in the included library. This is a great app to keep you focused on integrating sacred ceremony into your daily life. You can download the Transmutation app from iTunes, Amazon, or Google Play.

•Dissolving Paper You can purchase dissolving paper on sciencebobstore.com. This paper is made of cellulose and dissolves in water, steam, and most aqueous solutions. It is biodegradable, nontoxic, and safe for the environment.

•Damini Celebre’s PrayerPods You can learn about this project by visiting daminicelebre.com/prayer-pods.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sandra Ingerman, MA, is an award-winning author of twelve books, including Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self; Medicine for the Earth: How to Transform Personal and Environmental Toxins; and Walking in Light: The Everyday Empowerment of a Shamanic Life. She is the presenter of eight audio programs produced by Sounds True, and she is the creator of the Transmutation app.

Sandra is a world-renowned teacher of shamanism and has been teaching for more than thirty-five years. She has taught workshops internationally on shamanic journeying, healing, and reversing environmental pollution using spiritual methods. Sandra is recognized for bridging ancient cross-cultural healing methods to our modern culture, addressing the needs of our times.

Sandra is devoted to teaching people how to work together as a global community to bring about positive change for the planet. She is passionate about helping people reconnect with nature.

Sandra is a licensed marriage and family therapist and professional mental health counselor. She is also a board-certified expert on traumatic stress. She was awarded the 2007 Peace Award from the Global Foundation for Integrative Medicines. Sandra was chosen as one of the Top Ten Spiritual Heroes of 2013 by Spirituality & Health magazine.

sandraingerman.com

shamanicteachers.com